My beloved husband, Khaled, has been #Gone500Days, unable to be by our side, unable to hug me, unable to kiss our children, unable to tell us all how much he loves us. But in his absence, I am simply overwhelmed by the love and support that I receive daily, not just from family and friends, but even from complete strangers!

I spoke about Khaled's story and my struggle to bring him home at the Being Me women's conference in Mississauga on Sunday. The attendees signed a tree of hope for me and filled it with "fingerprint leaves." My four children and I added our own marks, and now the beautiful tree of hope hangs in my living room, waiting for Khaled to return. With so much love and concern for us, truly hope grows!

You can #PayitForward4KQ, too! Do something kind on Khaled's behalf for your neighbours, coworkers or someone in need, then let us know about it by using our hashtags:

On July 3, 2013, the Egyptian military forcibly and illegally detained Khaled Al-Qazzaz, a Canadian-educated mechanical engineer, human rights activist and former school principal. His Toronto-born wife, Sarah Attia, has been raising awareness about his situation with the hopes of bringing him back home to her and their four children.